(Reprinted in its entirety with permission from Eddie’s Corner. the weblog of Eddie Rose, at www.eddierose.org)
My mother, Lillian Rose, died in April 1995 at the age age of 90. Like many of our faith, she is buried at Hillside Memorial Park near Culver City, CA.
This Mother’s Day, my mother would have been proud of me because, as she was fond of doing in her latter years, I spent the better part of the day working in my garden. My mother loved the garden at her home in Mar Vista (CA), complete with fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers. Regrettably, her failing sight in her latter years deprived her of some of the enjoyment derived from her garden.
My mother and I occasionally differed on things. Quite often she was right. Like most Jewish mothers, she liked to make decisions, usually based on economic factors. With respect to my achieving one of my objectives, her favorite comment was usually “What does it all mean?” Perhaps she did not realize that, as a traditional Aries (April), I am goal-oriented and insistent upon making my own decisions.
She thought that seeking elective office, especially in Laguna Niguel, was a waste of time (and money). She felt that a Jew would never be elected there, because of the undercurrent of anti-Semitism, both overt and covert, in that community.
Well, she was wrong about not being able to be elected there (I served on the City Council from 1994-1998), but right about the level of anti-Semitism which, regrettably, still exists today, particularly among those holding positions of power within the city.
I don’t know how she would have reacted to my success in bridge. For, unlike poker, bridge is not a game in which one can make big money. It’s more to do with personal—not financial—achievement. She might have been impressed that I authored a book on bridge (“BRIDGE—From A to Z; Taking Your Game to the Next Level”), but not too pleased that I didn’t make any money on it!
Like most of us who have lost their parents, I miss my mother. I could not help thinking about her this Mother’s Day, when I tended to my garden, and saw the beautiful roses in bloom, and the luscious fruit trees bearing their annual fruit. My mother may not have approved of everything I’ve done (I certainly would have done a lot of things differently myself given the opportunity), but she would definitely have approved of spending this wonderful day at home in my garden.
The Honorable Eddie Rose
Former Laguna Niguel City Councilman
I missed this post. Very lovely:)